This comprehensive introduction to the natural building field is for lay people, architects, and designers who wish to build beautiful, low-cost, and environmentally-sensible structures. From straw bale and cob, to recycled concrete and salvaged materials, this anthology of articles from leaders in the field focuses on both the practical and the esthetic concerns of ecological building designs and techniques. Profusely illustrated and packed with resources.

The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes is an extremely beautiful, well-written, and informative book. The photographs are elegant and awe inspiring. If you’ve been thinking about building a straw bale home, this book is a great place to look for creative design ideas. The Steens have also provided valuable information on earthen plasters, wall finishes, moisture, and ways to retrofit a home with straw bales in this delightful gem of a book.

Edited by Joseph E. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith and Catherine WanekThis comprehensive introduction to the natural building field is for lay people, architects, and designers who wish to build beautiful, low-cost, and environmentally-sensible structures. From straw bale and cob, to recycled concrete and salvaged materials, this anthology of articles from leaders in the field focuses on both the practical and the esthetic concerns of ecological building designs and techniques. Profusely illustrated and packed with resources.

Despite growing interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on “selling” the dream of straw bale building, but don’t adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. It leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates.

This book provides the metaphorical nuts and bolts of straw bale construction for homes and other buildings. Unlike many other straw bale construction books on the market, this one looks at building design issues from the perspective of straw bale builders and considers the particular needs of the medium. Several different techniques are discussed, focusing much information on the needs of those building in wet and/or cold environments. Many illustrations, some color, and several project profiles demonstrate the theories discussed.

Straw Bale Details is the perfect book for those who are serious about building with straw. It focuses entirely on the specific design theories and practices that result in well-built, long-lasting bale structures. It extends the range of books like Straw Bale Buildingthrough large, easy-to-read architectural drawings rendered for a wide variety of building options, including load-bearing and post-and-beam designs. A range of foundation, wall, door and window, and roof-plate scenarios is presented, along with notes and possible modifications. Also included are the most recent testing data to help base designer and builder decisions on sound science.